Declare Pir Panjal region as backward: Javed Rana

Excelsior Correspondent

POONCH, June 8: Javed Ahmed Rana, president JKNC Pir Panjal region and former MLA Mendhar strongly criticized present dispensation over regional imbalance and income irregularities in the erstwhile State Jammu and Kashmir and urged the Government to take necessary step to reduce it by taking immediate necessary measures.
Rana demanded that the Government should work to improve the per capita state income figures to reduce the regional imbalance and disparity by making land reform and redistribution of surplus and unused land by giving ownership right to the landless and under privileged classes to improve their level hard.
The NC leader said that Finance Commission of India must give due weightage to backwardness of a Pir Panjal region as an important livelihood for resource transfer from the Centre to the backward and special category region of Pir Panjal and that may be in the shape of special Central assistant for this backward region, in the state plan, non plan and allocation of fund for centrally sponsored schemes allocation of both, short and long term credit from financial institution etc.
Rana also emphasized on special area development programme in order to develop its hilly areas tribal area, border area drought prone areas. Specific plan scheme must be prepared with full development be formulated for the improvement of specific group such as marginal farmers and agricultural labourers for the inhabitants of backward region.
He said that the Government must ensure social security measures for the workers to be considered as an important step towards reduction of income inequalities. Some social security provisions for the workers engaged in the organized second workmen’s compensation for providing compensation in case of any injury to industrial workers, maternity benefit for women workers and employees.
Rana said that with the growing menace of unemployment problem in the Pir Panjal region, the Government of India must introduce some special employment programmes. He referred to the programmes like Crash Scheme for Rural Unemployment, the Drought Prone Areas Programme, Food for Work Programme, Self-employment Schemes for Engineers, Employment Schemes for educated unemployed etc.
Rana urged the Government to grant Backward Region with special status to Pir Panjal area with an objective of socio economic development of the region.